Sanction Errant Political Parties CSOs Tells INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been urged to reposition itself as an effective regulator of all registered political parties in the country, and decisively sanction political parties which fail to comply to provisions of the electoral act.

This call was made during a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday by a coalition of civil society groups which include the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Partners for Electoral Reforms.

According to the coalition, this has become necessary to ensure a healthy electioneering process ahead of 2015 general elections.

The group also lauded the court judgement which bars INEC’s from de-registering political parties in the country, noting that INEC should rather be concerned with setting conditions for improved electioneering process.

The coalition urged INEC not to tolerate extant errant behaviours manifested by some political parties, adding that such behaviours portend great danger to free and fair elections in the country.

The group further called on INEC not to hesitate to wield the big stick against the like of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) over its unending leadership crisis, as it has did to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the executive director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa, without INEC’s decisive interventions in the activities of all parties, Nigeria’s political stability could continue to float even as it records almost 14 years of democracy.

“The process of achieving remarkable reforms in the electoral process is trust and confidence between the political parties and the election management body through an open, transparent and credible partnership to drive the reform process,” he said.

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